I guess another win by Verstappen would be mighty unlikely, considering that he's starting from the pitlane following his crash in the qualifying. However, Ricciardo is on pole, which means a celebration at RBR is likely today. However, it looks like a rainy race, which could turn things upside down. A pitlane start might not be such a bad thing after all...

So... What about the Canadian GP yesterday? Another victory for Hamilton, another setback for Rosberg and another missed opportunity for Ferrari! Great race from Valtteri Bottas and Williams for a change, too, but the hero of the day for me was Max Verstappen. His defense against the charging Rosberg in the end was phenomenal; "there is absolutely nothing Verstappen can do now," said Mika Salo in the commentary, but young Max proved him wrong! Their battle climaxed with Rosberg's error that very nearly cost him the 5th place, and which must have hurt his confidence.

With one third of the season gone, the battle for the championship is very much on. Hamilton is on the charge, Rosberg's lead has dwindled down to almost nothing, and Ferrari is still very much in the game. Then there's the massively improved Red Bull which will surely shake things around in the races to come. We have a classic season on the cards.

WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot wrote:So... What about the Canadian GP yesterday? Another victory for Hamilton, another setback for Rosberg and another missed opportunity for Ferrari! Great race from Valtteri Bottas and Williams for a change, too, but the hero of the day for me was Max Verstappen. His defense against the charging Rosberg in the end was phenomenal; "there is absolutely nothing Verstappen can do now," said Mika Salo in the commentary, but young Max proved him wrong! Their battle climaxed with Rosberg's error that very nearly cost him the 5th place, and which must have hurt his confidence.

With one third of the season gone, the battle for the championship is very much on. Hamilton is on the charge, Rosberg's lead has dwindled down to almost nothing, and Ferrari is still very much in the game. Then there's the massively improved Red Bull which will surely shake things around in the races to come. We have a classic season on the cards.

Bottas drove better imo, held Rosberg at bay for longer than Max did and had pace much quicker than that Williams should've had, up there with Raikkonen in a slower car and ahead of the Red Bulls. Bottas also didn't allow Rosberg to get side-by-side with him - but Verstappen did have lower top speed to be fair, and Max defended well. Typical that Bottas's best races are the ones where he's almost anonymous though!

Baku is going to be crazy, I wouldn't be surprised to see RB run Monza-esque wings to keep up on the massive straight.

Horrible qualifying for Hamilton - that culminated in him breaking his car against the barrier and causing a red flag that messed up the rest of Q3 - means that polesitter Rosberg is in an excellent position to strike back in Baku. Sergio Perez drove brilliantly into the second row, only to receive a five place grid penalty following a gearbox change; this elevates Daniel Ricciardo into 2nd, while the Ferraris - led by Vettel - occupy the second row.

This new street circuit certainly seems interesting and challenging for the drivers, although I don't necessarily except a lot of overtaking action. The architecture around the track is very beautiful!

Okay, so over the last few days the 2017 grid has started to get a shake up and the silly season has properly kicked off.

The big move came courtesy of Nico Hulkenberg. Often overlooked for a big drive, he has made the best play he could make which was to jump into a factory drive with Renault. Whilst they have struggled in their first year back, most predict Renault to soon be the force it once was.

However, this move now casts doubt over the rest of the mid (and lower) pack teams as there are a fair few seats listed as tbc. Williams have 2 seats with Felipe retiring and Bottas asking around although it is expected that Bottas and Stroll will drive next season. Haas haven't locked in their drivers (iirc), Renault still have a free seat, Force India have an opening, Toro Rosso still have one vacancy there (although Kvyat will likely stay on) Manor....who knows with Manor, and I can't remember is Sauber have locked in Ericsson and Nasr or not (anyone?).

The big teams (Merc, Ferrari, RBR, McLaren) may be locked in but with drastically new regs next season, one of these free seats might be a ticket to some grand prix victories or even a title contender. Only one thing is certain. Sauber, with all of there new money from new sponsors for next year, will be running an old engine and will struggle to keep up in the development race (ie - Toro Rosso this year, good car, can't do much with it).

It's a good risk for Hülkenberg; Force India is a good team, but unlikely to ever make it higher than the upper midfield. Renault - well, they haven't convinced this season, but I think it's still more Lotus with Renault branding than actual Renault. With proper time to get ready for the next season, and the new regulations, it is very much possible that Renault will be contending for at least podiums. Remember when Nico Rosberg went from Williams to Mercedes - Mercedes wasn't a winner yet, but now he's the favourite for this season's championship!

Who will partner Hülkenberg, and who will replace him at Force India? Esteban Ocon has been mentioned; for Renault, he might be too much of a risk, but he might have a shot at Force India with potential backing from Renault. However, Mercedes will want Wehrlein higher in the grid, and this should be the more lucrative option for Force India.

Hülkenberg's teammate? Autosport reported that Valtteri Bottas is negotiating with Renault, while the Finnish media claims that he will continue at Williams, which means he will probably end up at Renault. Well, that depends - the thing about Bottas is that he wants to be free by the time Kimi retires, or a spot opens up at some other team. That's why he wants a one-year deal, but Williams wants a two-year deal. However, I assume it's the same problem with Renault. That's why I'd say Bottas will continue at Williams, but I'd also mark him down for a total surprise move. Force India - or even Haas!

Romain Grosjean? Great driver, French, no contract yet - however, there is that Ferrari seat up for grabs in near future, and he might see staying at Haas with its Ferrari partnership as a more lucrative long-term option. Still, I think it would be a good opportunity for him, and let's not forget that he has driven for Renault before. Of course, that 2009 stint was hardly convincing, but those were probably the worst imaginable circumstances for an F1 debut. I think he is a very strong option.

Let's look at Williams, then. Lance Stroll is strongly rumoured to take one seat - the announcement is supposedly held back until the 29th when Stroll turns 18 because Martini. Bottas is very likely to retain his seat, although if he should leave, who would replace him? It would be very hard for Williams to find an experienced enough driver to lead the team at this point. Daniil Kvyat or Kevin Magnussen would be the best options.

Sauber? I am going to assume that they will retain Felipe Nasr so that they can save up a bit of money in not having to design a new sponsorship livery. Since there seems to be some new money pouring into the team, they might opt to keep Marcus Ericsson, or they might see an opportunity to get some more money. Charles Leclerc has been rumoured for Haas - a Ferrari man - but if Haas doesn't change their line-up, Sauber could be an option for Leclerc. There is also Antonio Giovinazzi - another Ferrari man - and the current leader of GP2. But if the whole Ferrari connection doesn't happen here, then there's also Sergey Sirotkin, who has been involved in Sauber rumours before. All in all, I just don't see Marcus Ericsson remaining, even if he hasn't been that bad.

Toro Rosso? Pierre Gasly.

As for Haas, if they lose Grosjean, I can see them bringing in Charles Leclerc. If Grosjean stays, I can still potentially see Leclerc coming in.

Finally, my favourite, Manor. They've had a great season, courtesy of Pascal Wehrlein. With Wehrlein most likely moving on towards greener pastures, they will struggle to find anyone as good. Unless they opt for a pay driver, I can see one of the potential midfield rejects driving for them: Esteban Gutiérrez, Kevin Magnussen, Jolyon Palmer, Daniil Kvyat or Marcus Ericsson. Esteban Ocon might or might not continue.

When the champion with big chin is united with the young star at the team of Ron, this will lead into a great conflict that will shake the very foundation of the sport, and from that destruction the Iceman in red shall emerge victorious on his galloping horse. Hear ye, for the tabloids shall overflow with deliberately provocative headlines, hashtags ending in -gate shall fill Twitter as far as the eye can see, and Facebook will be overrun with memes of questionable funniness. The champions of old shall return to enlighten us with their blatantly obvious comments, and the silly season shall become sillier than ever.

Gasly's chances of slotting into the 2017 grid took a hit yesterday with the confirmation of Kvyat staying at Toro Rosso.

It also locks down another team. Renault, Force India and Haas no being the prime real estate left, Williams likely to have Stroll (not my favourite call) and Manor and Sauber with no confirmed drivers iirc (unless Sauber have their two locked in).

Renault reportedly want Ocon but Merc have him and want him at Manor.

Merc want Wehrlein at FI but they want someone who is proven to be as quick or quicker than Perez...Grosjean or KMag?

I'm guessing Kvyat is staying because Red Bull feels guilty that they kind of screwed him over by replacing him with Verstappen. I know he messed up in that one race, but he wasn't bad enough to justify replacement - RB just wanted the more talented Verstappen into the big team (which does make sense, even if it sucks for Kvyat). Honestly, though, I can see nothing good coming out of the continued Kvyat - STR partnership to the team nor the driver.

Ocon - really, if Renault wants him, he'll go to Renault. I don't think he is good enough to be truly contested by Mercedes. On the other hand, I do think that Wehrlein is good enough to go to Force India; he's been fast and consistent at Manor, and Mercedes trusts him, which shows something. Even if it goes wrong, which I don't believe, they still have Perez who has proven himself capable of scoring decent results. In my opinion, bringing in Wehrlein would be a very good risk for FI.